CONGENITAL sarcoma is rare and has usually been reported as single cases. A total of 35 proved cases has been recorded in the world literature, 17 of which occurred in one of the extremities.
In a comprehensive review of congenital malignant lesions, Wells1 excluded several reported as certain cases and listed them as probable or possible because of insufficient evidence regarding the time of onset or confirmation of the microscopic examination. He found that congenital sarcoma occurred as frequently as all other types of congenital tumors, such as neuroblastoma of the adrenal and sympathetic nervous system (sympatheticoblastoma), retinoblastoma, mixed renal tumors, and hemangioendothelioma of the liver. While the predominant type of tumor occurring in the extremity was fibrosarcoma, cases of osteogenic sarcoma were recorded and one case each of angiosarcoma and liposarcoma.
In 3,000 necropsies on newborn infants, Wells1 did not find an instance of congenital sarcoma. In